#in order for them to continue spreading their specific rhetoric

[transrevolutions]

a somewhat under-acknowledged premise in the whole USAmerican Evangelical Ethos™ is the fact that a good number of these people genuinely believe that being constantly oppressed is an inalienable part of their existence as a religious group.

like legitimately this is why so many of them throw hissy fits whenever there's legislation that separates church and state or extends rights to religious or social minorities that don't line up with them. they believe that they are ontologically oppressed in every situation and therefore start grasping at straws to explain how, even in a society built by and upon their own values and acolytes, they are still the victims. all of a sudden it's "oppression" to have to call someone their chosen name and pronouns or walk past somebody else's house that has a pride flag or not force their students to engage in prayer in a public facility.

"this is just as the bible prophesied! we are being persecuted!" they cry when they are told to please follow science-based health regulations during a pandemic.

"you are trying to silence us, you followers of satan!" they say when they are forbidden from harassing random women outside planned parenthood.

"this is a conspiracy to destroy christian values in the usa!" they proclaim when they are required to accept the presence of visible religious minorities in communal spaces.

if evangelicals cease to be oppressed for their faith, then the entire house of cards that their denomination is built on will collapse. therefore, they must condition themselves to twist any inconvenience to them into oppression, even if they are the ones with the clear advantage in the situation.

[levyfiles]

Hi there! Unfortunately the OP made their post nonrebloggable, but I wanted to thank you for adding that fact check on Watcher vs Try Guys. I'm so tired of seeing everyone shit on them based on bad faith takes and not keeping up to date with the changes they immediately introduced. It wasn't an ideal situation but this constant hate campaign over nothing is starting to grate. So thank you for stepping up! I guess the fact that the post is no longer rebloggable shows the OP was afraid people would agree with you.

It has been such a week. The Try Guys launch happened and my job immediately got more demanding for the rest of the week I only had the most minimal time for fandom and I honestly only had the energy for the more positive aspects like this week's episode of Survival Mode. Anyway, it's Sunday night; I'm geared up for work tomorrow so what I'm gonna do for this post is repost the original post without the OP identified seeing as how they don't want to be held accountable for spreading lies and I'll also repost my reply

1. Watcher didn't call anyone poor. They called $6 affordable and people inferred that from the statement.

2. Watcher did the same. The website isn't region locked where do you get your info?

3. Watchertv will be posting everything they already have on the streamer for free in a YouTube friendly format a month after.

4. They are not and were never removing their backlog. This was a myth started by the variety article.

The misinformation that caused most of this attitude is really so telling. The only thing the try guys did different is watch their old colleagues get harassed, bullied, and reamed across the drama channels on YouTube, delayed their own announcement which was supposed to be not long after Watcher's, adopt rhetoric to make fun of what their colleagues went through, and pivoted the focus of their video to butter up their audience so they forget that people were telling Watcher to lay people off, to fire their cofounder, to go back to making Buzzfeed limited budget crap, to continue to slave over ad specific parameters to get paid when that is the one thing Watcher And the Try Guys are trying to escape.

The concept of "spin" has never been so hilariously in practice. All you guys need is for the video to "feel good" in order to comprehend that two different companies said the exact same thing, are both valid for making the move, and that controlling their content is supposed to be a beautiful thing on this shit plain of a platform.

It just so happens one party didn't spin it right, so people are acting like the endgame isn't meant to be the same on different scales.

@ THE GENERAL PUBLIC: STOP SPREADING MISINFORMATION TO MAKE YOURSELVES FEEL JUSTIFIED FOR HARRASSING THESE CREATORS.

[snappedsky]

Borderlands: Skies the Ultimate Treasure Hunter

Skies and Tannis have a discussion about Psychos.

*Reblogs appreciated*

--

The Fantastic Fustercluck Part 1

“What is the difference between us and Psychos?”

“Um...they wear masks?”

“That was rhetorical.”

“Oh.”

Skies sits on the operating table of the infirmary in Sanctuary III, watching Tannis pace about around her. The doctor had invited her here in order to discuss an experiment she’s working on.

“More specifically, what is the different between you and I and Psychos?” Tannis continues. “Psychos have spread out around the galaxy, but they originated on Pandora. They came about in different ways- experiments, trauma, simply losing their mind. But one of their common qualities is Pandora. So why aren’t you and I Psychos?”

Skies opens her mouth but Tannis cuts her off. “Again, rhetorical. As I was saying, you and I both spent significant amounts of time isolated on Pandora. Anyone else who suffered a similar fate became Psychos, but we didn��t.”

“I surmise that my studying of the Vaults helped me from falling into Psychosis. All that time alone, I remained razor focused on my work. And that focus kept me from losing my sanity.” “Well...” Skies shrugs arguably.

“But what about you?” Tannis questions, ignoring her. “You came quite close to becoming a Psycho, as evident by your own ECHO log.”

She grabs her ECHO device and plays an old recording; one Skies made years ago, when she was alone on Pandora after Jack’s death.

“I think there’s something really wrong with this planet and it’s doing something to me. Not long ago, I was just wandering around when a band of bandits found me. There was like six of them. I didn’t think I stood a chance but when they drew their guns, something just…came over me. I blacked out. But I remember hearing a voice in my head, loud and angry, and shouting ‘kill! Blood! Kill!’ Next thing I knew, all the bandits were dead. I killed them-no. I slaughtered them with my knife. Their blood was everywhere. I still taste it between my teeth. God, and it had been so long since I’ve eaten. There really is something wrong with this planet…with me.”

“I can’t believe you have that,” Skies groans when the recording ends. “I knew I should’ve burned those tapes.

“Yes,” Tannis sighs contently. “Sometimes I like to listen to them while inside my saurian skin and drinking tea. But I digress.”

[trans-axolotl]

Sorry that this topic is heavy, but your posts are always very well thought out and I value your insight and antipsych perspective. What are your thoughts on some countries (now possibly including canada) allowing medically-assisted euthanasia for young mentally ill people if they request it? There was a story recently about a belgian terror attack victim being euthanized at 23 at her request. I personally believe that committing suicide is a right that every person should have because I think that punishing suicide attempters is the worst thing you can do for them, and ultimately, it’s their life and they deserve ultimate autonomy over it. Not that I think suicide should be encouraged, either, and having a specific government-endorsed suicide program seems sort of bad…? Like euthanizing young people comes with a lot of ethical complications — but I don’t know how to express why it feels weird given my personal beliefs about suicide being a right. (additionally, it feels even weirder because I do support these types of programs for the elderly (although i know what an ethical minefield those are too)). What are your thoughts?

Hey, anon. Thanks for bringing this up!

I have a lot of mixed thoughts about MAID (Medical assistance in dying) and also about what it means to consider suicide a right and in what ways I think that should play into mad organizing.

Firstly, I think the way that Canada's bill C-7 was written and the way it's being put into practice is just blatant eugenics. The rhetoric while legislators were debating and passing the bill made it clear the way they saw disabled lives as unworthy. In a context where many disabled people are forced to live in poverty, where treatment is often impossible to reach, where accessible affordable housing is often nonexistent, where the medical system is filled with ableism and stigma--it is incredibly fucked up to add suicide as an option on the table when there are so many coercive factors at play. Instead of working to make society more accessible and do things that improve the quality of life of disabled people of any age, the government and doctors are using MAID as a way to completely ignore structural ableism and spread narratives that disabled lives are not worth living. I am incredibly, incredibly infuriated about the way MAID was expanded in Canada. I would recommend that people check out the amazing work of the Disability Fillibuster to learn more about MAID in Canada.

Although I don't think every instance of MAID is inherently unethical, I am VERY wary of any bills that expand MAID like Bill C7 because I think that in the context of an ableist society that already doesn't consider disabled lives worth living and tells marginalized people every day millions of reasons why they wish we were dead, MAID bills will come with dangerous levels of coercion that cannot be safeguarded against. For example, the American medical system, with a long history of eugenic sterilization, medical experimentation on Black Americans, and widespread institutionalization, is not a system I ever trust to be able to handle the power of MAID without treating marginalized people's lives as disposable. (Link to read more about the history of medical experimentation: content warning for antiblack racism, sexual exploitation, slavery, and medical abuse of many types. )

At the same time, I am deeply invested in noncarceral approaches to suicide, and I believe that in order to effectively fight against psychiatric incarceration, we have to expand our understanding of the right to autonomy. The psych system, like many institutions of total control, weaponizes a fake concept of safety to justify depriving people of autonomy. In the context of prison abolition, Mariame Kaba and Andrea J. Ritchie use the phrase "carceral safety" to talk about the ways that police use the rhetoric of "safety" to continue perpetuating a violent system of incarceration:

"The state’s carceral safety robs our communities of the conditions and nutrients that would allow true safety to grow, forcing us into the position of constantly reaching for more security from the very institutions that make us collectively less safe." (from Reclaiming Safety, August 2022).

Similarly to police and prisons, the psych system wants us as mentally ill people to believe that the only way safety and suicide prevention can occur is within institutions where autonomy is deprioritized and any kind of abuse is acceptable if it can be explained as a "life-saving" measure. So part of noncarceral suicide prevention involves rethinking the way we think about autonomy, and prioritizing autonomy and freedom as inherent rights, regardless if people are making risky or harmful choices about their own wellbeing. Suicide should never be criminalized and I think that a step towards decarcerating suicide requires us to embrace the importance of autonomy.

Rethinking autonomy to include the right to harm ourselves is something that I think is an important topic to grapple with in noncarceral suicide prevention, but I think it's one we also have to be careful with and approach with a lot of nuance when talking about it publically. Approaching suicide prevention with a bodily autonomy framework does not mean that we need to support government-sanctioned suicide, does not mean we need to advocate for eugenic policies, does not mean that we should advocate suicide for marginalized people who are already so used to being told that the world wants them dead. Suicide prevention is incredibly important to me, and it will never feel liberatory to me if I'm using my understanding of bodily autonomy to promote suicide in any way. Liberatory suicide prevention includes more than just noncarceral crisis response and helping people map through their distress. It also includes advocating for the material conditions we need to survive in our everyday life, and in my mind, that includes things like advocating for disabled people to have our basic needs met so that we don't have to live in poverty, inaccessible housing, and aren't coerced into suicide through eugenicist bills like Bill C7 in Canada.

Definitely think there is a LOT more to say on this topic and that my opinion is not the only way of looking at this, so I absolutely encourage followers to jump into the discussion.

[vidreview]

VIDEO ESSAY ROUNDUP #2 [PART 2]

[originally posted november 14 2023. NOTE: while migrating the archive from cohost i've discovered that tumblr has a 10 link-block limit, which means i have to split some of these roundups up in order to maintain the embeds. we love websites don't we folks]

THE "DOESN'T NEED THE HELP" ZONE

my preference with these posts is to highlight creators making stuff that might not get much exposure otherwise. but it must be said that sometimes algorithmically successful video creators are creatively successful too. who'dathunkit?

"Are Film Critics a Dying Breed?" by Broey Deschanel.

an excellent dissection of the miserable state of media criticism today, starting at the surprise resignation of A.O. Scott from the New York Times. touches on the important role critics can play in resurrecting films that failed on release, and how we've arrived at a moment when so much criticism is (ironically) uncritical stenography for creatively bankrupt corporations. i think we're going to be seeing a lot of videos on this subject in the years to come, especially as more and more traditional avenues of media crit shut down and our society continues its profit-driven plunge into seeing art as merely a container for passive good feelings to be experienced in the moment and then forgotten forever. does a good job explaining why the firebrand critics of the 70s, like Pauline Kael, were so important, without letting them off the hook for their often elitist attitudes.

"Parking Laws Are Strangling America" by Climate Town.

an essential and refreshing dive into the outsized impacts that zoning laws (specifically parking requirements on new construction) have had on the very shape and soul of American public spaces. we like to talk about car culture and "freedom of the road" propaganda when grousing about the miserable state of public transit, but this here does a delicious materialism and cuts right to the heart of the matter. i love how he consistently refers to parking as "publicly subsidized storage for an individual's private property." little rhetorical interventions like these can do a lot to naturalize a more radical perspective on urbanist reforms. related to this is his video on Chicago's disastrous choice to sell its parking meters to Morgan-Stanley in 2009. i don't love the jokey Daily Show-esque affect Rollie brings to his stuff all the time, but the clarity of information more than makes up for the occasional dud joke. also: really solid camera work? huge props to his gimbal operator.

"Notation Must Die: The Battle For How We Read Music" by Tantacrul.

an exhaustive look at the history of musical notation and the many, many attempts people have made at replacing western notation with something more intuitive. if you've ever had a professor just go off about a huge pet peeve of theirs, you'll probably enjoy this one.

"YouTube is spreading a filmmaking disease" by Standard Story Company.

some context: about a month ago i finally bought a new camera and lighting equipment for the first time in ten years. this was preceded by months of researching my options, watching lengthy technical review videos, trying to find a sweet spot between cost and utility. i've watched a million videos like these over the years, and yet i'd never really thought about them as a genre with specific socioeconomic impacts on a population… until now. this is a technical review video that has become self-aware, one which simultaneously reviews tech and the act of reviewing tech in equal measure. it's a fun, interesting experiment that got me thinking in new ways about something i'd very much taken for granted. there remains an uneasy alliance between art and advertising here that i'm not quite sure what to do with, but the work itself is admirable and well worth your time.

----

and that's it for this roundup! good luck to those with get-togethers planned for thanksgiving-- make sure to get vaccinated, wear a mask in public spaces, and don't let anyone guilt you for staying home if you're worried for your or someone else's immunological safety.

<- ROUNDUP #1 | ROUNDUP #3 ->

[vtori73]

I'm so FUCKING tired of you all, I SWEAR to god like... how the fuck does it it make sense to say trans masc/men have privilege over trans women? HOW DOES ONE TRANS GROUP, BASING ONLY ON GENDER, MARGINALIZE ANOTHER??? TRANS men are TRANS... LOOK, look at me, repeat it with me please... TRANS! They don't HAVE privilege over fucking anyone UNLESS we start taking into account other identities they may hold which then, yes, ALL white trans people HAVE privilege... YES, ALL OF THEM!

Like... y'all need to stop falling for white trans people's bullshit, I've seen plenty of TRANS WOC point out that white trans women co-opt this narrative of being the most oppressed by using stats and info about violence against trans women to quiet ANY criticism of them & such when these stats and info are mostly what trans WOC face! (Yes, white trans women are still marginalized for being trans but AREN'T for being white).

Not to mention y'all seem to be okay with ignoring the issues trans men actually face in order to keep making a specific queer group into the boogyman/bad guy. Like, trans men have the highest rates of suicide, with trans woman & nonbinary individuals tied for second. Also, the fact that violence trans men face gets erased often, we know this happens with trans women so we shouldn't be surprised at ALL that this would happen to trans men especially considered trans men in general ARE often erased and treated as just tomboys or empowering women who broke gender roles!

Trans men face erasure, belittlement/ infantalization and fetishization, some of these aren't unique to just Trans Men BUT what is unique is how this sort of treatment is also hugely encouraged by other queer people to partake in and spread.

And what I find interesting about this is how this seems eerily similar to how bi women are treated by other queer people and while I'm not smart enough or knowledgeable enough to fully dissect this while doing it justice... what i WILL say is that this at least continues to prove that a lot of intercommunity bigotry is nothing but recycled talking points that get slapped onto the next acceptable target so these specific queers have an acceptable punching bag to take out their frustrations onto and not be seen as bad people for it! I mean, look at how Asexual people were treated (and still are, it's just not AS easy to find) a LOT of that rhetoric used against them ALSO sounded like old recycled biphobia.

Sorry, but I also think it's hilarious (in a haha wow y'all are not slick at all kind of way) that y'all just refuse to be critical and only decide to use intersectionality when it is convenient for y'all. I mean, some of y'all still refuse to acknowledge MOC are marginalized (yes, in general) even though we've just recently seen the horrific shit Palestinian men and boys have had to face and YET... we still have people continue to dehumanize them by refusing to acknowledge that they are victims too, only ever mentioning the women and children there and would rather continue to believe they are all evil, violent, rapists and oppressors even though that's just what white supremacy wants you to believe, and you do! Congrats.

I would feel sorry for you if I had a legit reason to but I don't, so I won't, lol! The only exception I will make is for kids who don't know any better BUT even then I'm not arguing with children, if you can't be mature and realize you may not have all the info or know all that you could about x queer topic & thus should be willing to hear queer adults out who HAVE done research, have experience, etc, then you aren't owed our time or patience. For ANY adults however... GET IT THE FUCK TOGETHER and stop being henchpeople to the white allocisheteropatriarcy.

[poetictarot]

Alias: Havoc

I am curious about: Assuming I work in a career that involves interacting with the public, what about me is most likely to grab attention/notice?

Heya Havoc! Your energy is compelling from the get-go, I'm excited to tap into it!

The Spread

I asked the cards: What about you grabs attention? What about you maintains attention? What are ways to embody your best qualities? And lastly, at the back of the deck is your underlying energy to the public.

The Interpretation

Immediately, what instantly grabs the public's attention about you is your voice--very specifically, your vocal projection is incredibly powerful, and your manner of speech is highly dignified. To get the Emperor card, for an energy check is very impressive. Metaphorically however, your "voice" as a public persona is more than simply powerful, it is expansive. From The Star card in reverse, I imagine you are knowledgeable about what you speak about, because you are invested your assertions. You do not say things for the sake of saying them--there is always a point to be made, and you are going to prove it.

In relation to this, The High Priestess representing how you maintain attention tells me that while you are confident in your assertions, you are also open to discussion. This is what maintains the public's attention--it is not that you are simply speaking to them, but you are speaking with them, among them, and as a part of said public's virtues and shortcomings. Discussion and articulation seems to be at the crux of your rhetoric, and it is done with care and precision.

In order to best embody your strong qualities, continue being open to the sense of change that you stand by. As you are open to discussion, your mind is equally as open to gaining new knowledge. You have the capability to ask very good questions, so do this more often, than to pressure yourself to obtain a completely singular answer.

The underlying energy at the back of the deck, the Ace of Pentacles, informs me that your ideas are grounded while at the same time remaining fresh and new.

Other Notes

I enjoyed listening to the song, Think Beautiful from Chet Baker's Baby Breeze album while interpreting your spread...maybe that is a song that could be of aid to you :))

Thank you so much for letting me read for you :DD I had so much fun! Have a lovely day ahead, Havoc!

[andromachos]

im not even bothering with watching the video bc views still count as power these days but isn't it amazing how we're living in the feminazi 2 era? like the thumbnail already is the average "caricature" (if such a horrible connotation can be given to a person) of a "feminazi": fat, presented as a woman with short colorful hair, perhaps glasses, demanding insane rights that go against "zé natural order".

and i think how that thumbnail works in this digital society. using they as a noun instead of person, to both deny their humanity and to act as if there arent gender neutral words. and the concept of it: if the maker simply and plainly said "i hate women", it would have, thankfully, caused enough of an uproar to be deleted and the account possibly banned. but because trans is the "cultured society"'s enemy now, the person can say "i hate nonbinary people who i consider are women" and it's allowed to stay, and both agreement and hate-consuming helps to spread the bigotry. they put qualifications for being a woman not because they care about whatever definition they give to a woman, but because that allows them multiple forms of now circle-aproved misogyny and transphobia; with every year amplifying the harm it can produce. never before has saying slurs and bigoted rhetoric be able to offend and harm as many victims as it is in this digital era

and one incredible detail of all of this is that the first demographic to deny this, and specifically deny that this war on transgenderism is the natural continuation of both the feminazi and anti-gay waves, are a group of women. the social-power equivalent of women that said "i dont need feminism i already have enough rights" will go now "i'm a radicalist in this rights war and it's my divine right to break the rules of my biology to be aggressive to women i find ugly, and to this person i find hot but is trans, for me to ask for a picture of her pussy. open your legs so i can respect you. i'm peak feminism"

big they is watching...

[haligtreedream]

Verses:

The Court of the Demi-Gods

The Haligtree is still an idea or experiment.

Miquella lives in Leyndell with Malenia during the height of The Golden Order.

He’s currently grappling with the contradictions, hypocrisy, and atrocity of Marika’s rule.

One of the main reasons he still hasn’t broken with The Golden Order is he still holds on to hope that they can save his sister.

St. Trina is an alter-ego he uses to help people where he can and escape the expectations of being Marika’s son.

The Sprouting Dream

The Haligtree is in its prime, Epheal and Ordina are thriving under Miquella’s stewardship as he continues to bring more and more faithful to his sanctuary.

He’s put all of his hope for stopping Malenia’s rot in Unalloyed Gold.

St. Trina becomes a way for him and his followers to more subtly spread his teachings, and oppose The Golden Order. He occasionally ventures out of the Haligtree as her to act as his own emissary, but also sometimes feels better being St. Trina than Miquella.

Those closest to him know of this. Those further from him know they’re the same person, but often believe St. Trina to be an alter-ego that allows Miquella to act as his own emissary and interact easier with his people. Those further still only know the rumor that they’re the same person.

Through St. Trina, his experimentation with lilies (he developed St. Trina’s Lily as a palliative care option for his followers as smaller doses can function as a painkiller without too much of the soporific effects), and his rhetoric around dreams, he begins to grow abilities around sleep.

The idea of using the Haligtree to nurture his body the same way he used his body to nurture the Haligtree is floating around in his mind, but he has yet to experiment with it.

The Shattering

When war breaks out Miquella breaks his isolationism to make a grab for power, him and Malenia securing their great runes.

While he tries to take a more democratic approach, and aims for peace before conquest, he makes it clear that he and his followers will defend themselves.

He keeps his designs for whether or not he plans to seize the throne close to the vest.

St. Trina is all but retired outside of the Haligtree as rumor and belief that she and Miquella are the same person has spread too far and is too widely believed that it isn’t safe for her to venture anymore.

Miquella is theorizing and rapidly experimenting with embedding himself into the Haligtree knowing he might need the power, protection, and influence the results could give him soon.

The Saint of Dreams and Nightmare (includes optional bloodborne crossover)

In retreating into a deep transformative slumber, Miquella discovered a new aspect of his dreaming abilities.

He can appear in dreams, craft them to an extent, speak with people while they slumber, and continue to spread his influence.

There are, of course, many obstacles to these processes. Including but not limited to, someone’s proximity to an outer god, their desire and will to resist him, and whether or not they’re under the influence of St. Trina’s Lily.

Whether or not someone believes or can sense that Miquella is himself in their dream or if they’re just dreaming about him is something he’s working on controlling, but seems to depend on factors he doesn’t yet understand.

The one bit of physical influence he can still spread if he puts his all into it, is that he can occasionally foster the bloom of a lily.

(If crossing over with Bloodborne he can walk freely in the dream realms, though has very little influence over them (growing lilies) and if he’s killed in one he cannot return for a good while.)

Retrospect

Mohg (specifically @mohgwynn) recants his faith in The Formless Mother and as such is granted an audience with Miquella in dreams through the use of St. Trina’s lily.

Miquella lays out all of the problems and pain Mohg has caused and, in the biggest challenge to his ideals yet, grants Mohg a chance at mercy should he be returned to his Haligtree.

With the offerings of blood stopped Miquella begins to slowly shed the smothering influence of The Formless Mother and revitalize his influence throughout the Lands Between.

His return to the Haligtree is not the only plot Miquella has in motion however. He still seeks to ascend to full godhood, and with what knowledge and information he has gathered in dreams he believes he knows what must happen.

Miquella plans to take any opportunity he can to become the new barer of the Elden Ring by having the body of Marika brought to the Haligtree and buried at its roots.

Spirit of the Haligtree

(coming soon)

[band--psycho]

Raymond Smith Smut-Not So Calm And Collected

Written for @hotdamnhunnam writing challenge! Congratulations again on reaching such a huge milestone, you deserve it all and more! Just a fic based around these three prompts: 

Intense Possessive/Jealousy

Extreme Dom/Sub

Punishment/Pain

(If this is not you thing, then please don’t read below the cut ) Hope you all enjoy 💖

Other Character Masterlist

Raymond was normally very controlled when it came to his emotions, he rarely let anything bother him and if it did, he was quick to put a lid on his emotions but the sight before him...that was something that made his blood boil.

He couldn’t help but watch as her hips swayed rhythmically to the beat of the music, all of the men were looking at her with a predatory look in their eye, each one eager to try and capture her. None of them would usually bother him, but there was a particularly ballsy young man, probably around his mid twenties, who just couldn’t seem to keep his hands to himself, they wandered up and down Y/n/ns waist as she grinded against him. And that’s when Ray felt it. A feeling that he’d only ever heard of. Jealously. Yes you heard right. The calm, cool and collected Raymond Smith was jealous of a twenty something year old. It should’ve been him that she was grinding against on that dance floor, it should be him who had his hands all over her while whispering all kinds of dirty things in her ear. It should have been him. He’d had feelings for her for so long but then work got in the way and the two drifted apart...he didn’t even know she was coming to the party tonight until she walked through the door wearing a glamorously tight fitted black dress, that showed off all of her curves in all the right ways. 

Maybe it was the small amount of alcohol he had, maybe it was the way his blood was boiling as he watched the scene continue between Y/n/n and the other guy, maybe it was the months of built up feelings and emotions that Y/n/n caused him to feel. Or maybe it was a mixture of every single one of those things. But before his mind got a chance to process what his body was doing he was making his way to the dance floor. His eyes locked on Y/n/ns. 

“Hey Ray,” she drawled, glancing over at him momentarily before turning her eyes back to the younger guy; he small yet delicate fingers caressed the man's cheeks and Ray couldn’t help but remember how soft her hands were, how they always seemed to wash away all the shit that had happened in the day. Ray didn’t say anything, instead he simply grabbed the hand that was caressing the man's cheeks and began pulling her away from the crowded dance floor. All eyes were on them, but Ray didn’t care. He needed Y/n/n, more than he needed anything else in the world. Luckily enough Mickey and Roz were there to settle down the people that had a problem and within a few seconds the party had returned to normal. Y/n/n surprisingly hadn’t uttered a single word since he’d grabbed her nor did she try to pull away from his grip, in fact it was almost like she let him do what he did...the cogs started to work in Rays mind as he calmly but quickly made his way to his hotel room, maybe she wanted this as badly as he did...maybe she missed him as much as he missed her. He opened the door, his hand still grabbed tightly around hers as he pulled her into the room, shutting the door with a loud slam before locking it. 

“What the fuck was that?” Ray seethed, his glasses fogging up slightly in pure rage, thinking back to what she had been doing on that dance floor.

“What did it look like I was doing,” Y/n/n began in a sing song like voice as she sat down on the silken sheet double bed “I was dancing,” she continued with a small smirk on her face, a smirk that she knew damn well would her Ray riled up.

“You were acting like a fucking slut!” He snapped, the anger in his voice evident as he took off his fogging glasses and under the top button of his shirt in an attempt to cool down, physically not metaphorically. 

“Why do you care?” The y/c/h female asked, rising from the bed and slowly making her way over to Ray who was still near the door. 

“I’m not yours,” she whispered, her heels adding some extra height onto her so they were now at eye level. 

“And,” she began, leaning closer into him, enough so that she could feel his erection growing in his trousers, “I can do...whatever...the fuck..I like,” in between those brief pauses of her words she placed a delicate, open mouthed kiss down his neck, before pulling away with a triumphant look in her eyes and a victorious smile on her face. As she went to unlock the door something inside Ray snapped. He grabbed her tightly, turning her around and pinning her against the wall.

“You’re mine,” Ray growled lowly, placing his lips onto hers in a rough and quick kiss. The action instantly causing Y/n/ns most intimate areas to tingle in excitement. 

“You’ve always been mine,” he reminded, pressing his body into hers so she could feel just how hard he was for her, something which Y/n/n greatly appreciated, only adding to her already building arousal.

“And you will always be mine,” and with that he moved his hands from her wrists to her face, one hand cupping her cheek, the other wrapping around her neck, holding her in place as she desperately tried to kiss him, craving the touch of his lips on hers.

“Such a needy little slut,” Ray whispered just inches away from her lips.

“Say it, say what you are,” he ordered, lightly adding pressure to her neck in a brief squeeze.

“I’m..I’m a needy..needy little..slut,” Y/n/n choked out, revelling in the pleasure that all of this was giving her. 

“You know what happens next, don’t you, sweetheart?” Ray asked, raising an eyebrow as he waited for her to answer, but all she did was nod, a crimson colour filling her cheeks as she did so.

“No, no, no, that’s not happening. You’re gonna tell me what happens next, you wanted to play this game,” he started, moving his hand slightly so he could suck some of the exposed flesh on her skin, causing Y/n/n to moan out in pure pleasure, not being able to hold back as his teeth bit down on her skin, “don’t be brat just because you’re losing,” he whispered against her ear, his hand returning to wrap around her neck, his thumb tracing over the purple bruises he’d left there, acting as reminder of who she belonged to. 

“I...I get punished…” she stuttered out, doubting that she’d be able to keep herself from falling over the edge before Ray was happy with the punishment.

“Yes you do, the question is, how many spanks is it going to take?” He questioned, releasing his grip on her throat, before taking off his waistcoat, folding it away neatly and standing by the edge of the bed. Of course the question was rhetorical, he didn’t want a number, he wanted a specific answer.

“How ever many you think I need to have, Sir,” Y/n/n answered, earning a somewhat satisfied smile from Ray as he beckoned her over to him with a knowing look. Without any words having to be exchanged Y/n/n kicked off her heels and made her way to the centre of the bed, her dress barely covering her butt cheeks. Ray let out a small chuckle as he caressed her butt cheek, both loving and hating the fact that she decided not to wear any panties tonight. The contact of his hand on her bare flesh is electric, and that’s just from one, soft, delicate touch, Y/n/n had no idea how she was going to get through any of this without exploding, and Ray knew. Teasingly, his fingers moved down, to her aching pussy, without any warning he ran his index finger down her slit, another moan escaping past Y/n/ns lips as he did so trying ever so hard not to fall over that edge.

“A needy little cunt for a needy little slut,” he whispered, withdrawing his finger and moving it back up to her butt, drawing soft soothing circles on her sensitive skin, just as Y/n/n began to hope that she’d gotten away with it all, she felt a sharp tingling pain spread across the cheeks of her butt. “After that litte stunt you just pulled,” Ray started, using his free hand to grab some of her hair, pulling her back so she was leaning against him, “your ass is gonna be seven different shades of red and when I’m done with you, you’re not gonna be able to sit down for a week,” he growled animalistically into her neck as he pushed her back down into her original position. And that’s when it started, the relentless assault on her butt cheeks, the stinging sensation causing both pain and pleasure as each cheek shook slightly with the harsh contract of Ray's hand. She tried so desperately hard to count them all, but in the end she lost track, drowning in the ecstasy of pleasure that he was causing. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he finally decided to stop but when he did she felt like her butt was red raw, it was stinging from the amount of impact it had on it but the pain only added to Y/n/ns almost overflowing pleasure. In one swift movement, Ray flipped her round, the cool feeling of the sheets soothing her butt slightly. He loved seeing her like this, helpless and overwhelmed with pleasure. He made quick work of ripping the flimsy dress off of Y/n/n before quickly disregarding his own clothes, placing them neatly along with his waistcoat. The bed dipped slightly, making Y/n/n briefly snap back to reality as she watched Ray position himself between her legs. She was desperate for him. And he knew it. “I own you,” he muttered, lowly as delicately placed his hands on her exposed chest, tracing his finger over her breast, pinching her already hardened nipples slightly coaxing another moan from Y/n//ns lips; after a few seconds his fingers were replaced by his lips, sucking the sensitive flesh of one breast decorating it in a an array of hickies, his other hand still teasing her other breast; whispering the same words again “I own you.” And then he switched, giving the other breast ample attention too. Y/n/n just wanted to fall over the edge, but she knew she couldn’t, if she did now, it would lead to another punishment and as much as Y/n/n loved punishment, she didn’t want another one. She wanted...no she needed Raymonds cock. His lips worked their way down to her abdomen, his lustful eyes locking onto hers as he stopped just above where she craved him the most. The tickle from his beard on her sensitive skin only adding to her pleasure.

“Tell me what you want,” Ray ordered, his thumb teasingly tapping away at her clit in a slow rhythm.

“You...need...need you,” Y/n/n moaned out, bucking her hips, desperate for more contact. But her answer simply got a shake of Raymond’s head.

“You’ve forgotten all the rules haven’t you,” Ray said a devilish smirk playing on his features, as he lowered his head down so it was infront of her soaking pussy. 

“You’re such a needy little slut you’ve forgotten one of the main rules,” as he said those words he slowly connected his mouth to her clit, running his tongue slowly across her aching bud. In amidst all the overwhelming pleasure and desire Y/n/n was feeling she knew what he wanted, she just needed to somehow find the words in her almost blank mind. 

“Please sir...please...I need you...I need you so badly..please sir..please,” she moaned out, her hands desperately wanting to pull his hair and pull him closer towards her, but she knew at the current moment that was not a good idea, so instead she grabbed hold of the duvet, her hands turning into first around them.

“That’s better,” Ray praised, placing one final kiss on her clit before kneeling upright aligning himself with her aching entrance. Slowly, he pushed inside of her allowing her to get used to his huge length again; as soon as the guttural moans left her lips he showed no restraint, rapidly pounding in and out of her, hitting her g-spot every. Single. Time. She released the duvet from her grip, wanting nothing more than to wrap her arms around him, as if reading her mind Ray placed his hands on her wrist, pinning her down, denying her what she wanted, as he continued to hit that right spot repeatedly. There was no word to describe the pure bliss Y/n/n as her orgasm began to build. She couldn’t think. She could barely move. All she could do was lay on the bed and enjoy every single moment with Ray. She knew he was close too, his rapid thrusts grew even more frantic and the groan that escaped his lips as he chased his real ease was like serotonin for Y/n/n. 

“Sir...I..I,” Y/n/n moaned out as she began to fall over the edge, falling deep into the pleasure that had been building for so long. 

“Me too, sweetheart,” Ray groaned out, reaching his own release as soon as he felt the walls of Y/n/s pussy clench around him. He slowly fucked her through her orgasm, each thrust making it more and more intense. When he was sure she’d finished, he pulled out of her and rolled onto the other side of the bed, bringing her into embrace. His arm protectively wrapped around her as he admired the bold purple bruises on her neck. Neither one of them had to say anything, they knew from this point on, they belonged to each other. They would discuss it all in the morning of course, Raymond already had an idea of what to order for her for breakfast, but now, neither of them could string together a proper sentence. Y/n/n simply snuggled into his chest and  Ray quietly whispered the word “mine” before they both closed their eyes, smiles on both of their faces as they drifted off to sleep.

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[whumpersdump]

Project Rebirth - CH1: The Speech

So, this is my first whump work (that I’m posting;). The word count’s close to 1400 words. Worth noting, English isn’t my first language.

This chapter is from the whumper’s POV.

[ Masterlist ] -- [ Next ]

TW: Restraints (like, very restrained. In a straitjacket) / muzzle / Implied past and future pet whump (institutionalized, like there is a ministry for it.) / implied torture / dehumanization (not with pronouns though)  / I think technically this also fits as lab whump, but it’s still implied.

This is the intro to my series, and doesn’t contain nearly as much whump as the next parts will. The Whumper is literally going to explain what the plot is. He’s very excited about it. He’s prepared his Project Rebirth for years. He’s prepared for anything.

Whumper straightened his back as he looked out on his audience. He hovered his hand over the remote he’d use for this slides, and corrected the position of his speech cards. “We live in a world that is on the brink of change.”

He opened the first slide. He’d picked it all out with the most care he could give it. This one featured headlines from the past few years. ‘An Epidemic of Defiance. How Can We End It?’. ‘More Pet Returns Than Ever Before’. ‘Interest In Re-Training Skyrockets’.

‘Pet Escapes a Record Thirty Times’.

He gave his audience a moment to take the headlines in, before continuing his speech. The last one in particular. His soon to be masterpiece.

“Throughout the past centuries, thousands of specialists have committed themselves to the task of training the pets we cherish so much. There are ones for every type. Those that breed defiance, or rather submission. Quiet pets, or loud ones. All tastes can be accounted for today. However, not for all pets.”

He gestured to the last headline. “No matter how hard we’ve tried, again and again, some pets never seem to learn. What then?”

He held his hands up as if waiting for an answer to his rhetorical question. “We keep them as examples, to teach the ones that will learn to know their place. Or in the most extreme cases, we have even considered resort to well… extreme measures. I’m here to tell you, I have the solution.”

“Project Rebirth will put an end to to our struggles. My program can turn any pet in the pet that you deserve. It can make them the submissive and obedient friend you require. It can also create that fiery defiance that makes them seem almost human.”

He took a breath as some faces in the audience grew a frown. “Without the risk that compels us to train it out of them.”

The audience calmed, their faces filled with curious anticipation. Right where he needed them to be.

“Defiance,” he began. “It’s not the only flaw in our pets that drives us to return them to their trainer’s doorstep or worse— leave them on the streets. However it is the most common problem we face today. Whether it is violence to themselves or others, failure to comply, or accept their place in our world, if you’re here today you’ve seen it.”

He pointed at his so coveted headline again. “Even if you’re not the proud owner of a pet of your own, I don’t think there’s many of us that haven’t seen this headline re-appear over the past years. Different numbers, of course.” That got a giggle from a businessman in the front row.

“The pet in question has never actually qualified for placement. This pet is the one that made us consider those extreme measures. They’ve escaped every institution that made the mistake to consider them just another pet. Not even the most renowned specialists have managed to break them, our greatest heroes included.”

He looked down, and basked in the eager anticipation that hung in the room. “With Project Rebirth, I can tame even them.”

Right on cue, his assistant Toby entered the stage. Obedient as ever. Toby’s owner had volunteered him to test the last stage, but passed away. The pet was left in Whumper’s care. Not too bright—like all pets—but among the smartest nonetheless. He was one of the rare ones that truly understood his place. Which was why he was the only pet allowed near the Project without going through it.

Toby pushed forward a hand truck Whumper had specifically designed for today’s purpose. To restrain the most dangerously defiant pet in decades, while making sure the entire audience would catch a glimpse of what would soon be called a miracle.

Muffled curses came out from under the muzzle, their muscles twitched even within the stark white straitjacket and countless restraints that kept them in place. They were as heavily sedated as they could be without them losing their spark. The few master trainers in the audience would know this was a fraction of the inferno their anger and fear could cause, but to everyone else this was spectacle enough.

“Now I’m sure you’re all familiar with at least several of the many names their different trainers have given them, but under my care, for the following months, they will be known as Subject One. After all, they will be the first pet to complete the entire Rebirth program.

“Of course we shouldn’t forget the people that have selflessly volunteered the most intelligent pets of the nation to test the stages separately.” He didn’t want to say this, but his PR manager assured him it would backfire on him if he didn’t. “It is because of them I can finally introduce Project Rebirth’s trial phase to you all.”

He flashed on an as genuine smile as he could muster, and clicked over to the next slide. “With Project Rebirth, any pet can be reborn in anyway you wish them to be. Our entire program is tailored to the pet’s past, and our client’s needs. As will be the program for our dear Subject One.”

As he stared into the pet’s frantic eyes, a frown curled so deep it almost folded over their muzzle. In just a few months, even they would be a sea of calmness. As the ministry desired.

“The ministry of pet management has turned Subject One over to my care in the hope that I could achieve what no one else could.” A few faces turned to others, soft whispers spread through the room. Some sighed. In the back, someone even got up.

It didn’t matter. He would blow their minds. “What if I told you, that within the same time it took for this pet to escape those 30 times, I can turn them into the pet you all wish your pets strive to be?” That got their attention back.

“In the past month me and countless professionals that work under Project Rebirth have evaluated and tested each and every part of this pet.” He clicked to the next slide. It featured a number of diagrams detailing everything from personality traits to behavioral patterns.

“We quite literally mapped their defiance. Starting tonight, Project Rebirth will uncover the treasure buried under the large X that marks all of their placement forms.”

The following slide showed pictures of the test subjects placed in different stages of the program. Pre-Birth, Infancy, and the Toddler stage, as some of the staff had dubbed it. Though, on the official notes they just numbered them.

“Project Rebirth consists of 8 stages. The first you’re all familiar with.” He put on a smile again as a few people predicted what he’d say. “That dreaded evaluation that tells you where you went wrong.” A soft laugh went through the room.

“The second is more for us rather than the pet, but rest assured they won’t be forgotten. In our second stage we take what we’ve learned and map not only their behavior, but also the program in accordance with said behavior.”

He held his hands up. “Now, the third and onward… those are a bit of a trade secret. Rest assured, should you decide to put your money—” he blinked, to ease the not-so subtle request— “and once our first trial is completed, your pets in out care, you won’t be disappointed.” He nodded, marking the end of his speech.

“Now my scientists will happily answer as much of your questions as they can, after which those of you who decide to support my goal will be given a small sneak peak into our second stage. Which I assure you, is just the tip of the iceberg.”

Applause erupted from the audience, as Subject One trashed against their restraints. Whumper smiled. He gave them one last bow, and turned the presentation back the headlines.

If he succeeded, his program could become the standard worldwide. All he had to do, was get all those people to throw enough money at him to make it possible on such a scale.

He turned off his microphone and addressed the assistant that had patiently waited beside the subject for his orders. “Toby, write down your last observations on the subject’s responses. I want a presentable report within two hours. And tell the staff to begin storage preparations. Tier 3, please.”

[ill-will-editions]

Covid-19: The 21st Century Begins Now Jérôme Baschet

Historians readily accept that the global 20th century began in 1914, with the onset of the cycle of the World Wars. One day it will no doubt be said that the 21st century began in 2020, with the introduction of SARS-CoV-2. The range of scenarios to come remains, of course, very open; but the sequence of events triggered by the spread of the Coronavirus offers a preview of the disasters that are bound to intensify in our convulsive world, marked as it is by the effects of a global warming well on its way towards an average increase of 3 or 4 degrees. What is happening before our eyes is an increasingly tight intertwining of multiple crisis factors, which it suffices for a random element, both unforeseen and widely announced, to activate. The collapse and unravelling of life, climate disorder, accelerated social decomposition, the discrediting of governments and political systems, the unbridled expansion of credit and financial fragility, failure to maintain a sufficient level of growth (to mention only a few): these dynamics all reinforce one another, generating an extreme vulnerability that derives from the fact that the world system is now in a situation of permanent structural crisis. Henceforth, any apparent stability is merely a mask for growing instability.

Philippe Sansonetti, a microbiologist and professor at the Collège de France, recently remarked that Covid-19 is an "Anthropocene disease”. The current pandemic is a total fact, in which the biological reality of the virus is inseparable from the societal and systemic conditions of its existence and spread. Invoking the Anthropocene — a new geological period in which the human species has become a force capable of modifying the biosphere on a global scale — invites us to take into account a threefold timeline: firstly, the recent period in which, under the pressure of perceptible evidence, we became aware, albeit too slowly, of this new era; secondly, the decades after 1945, which were those of the rise of consumer society and the great acceleration of all the markers of humanity's productive (and destructive) activity; lastly, the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries which, by setting in motion the cycle of fossil fuels and industrialization, caused the curve of greenhouse gas emissions to take off, thus marking the beginning of the Anthropocene.

The virus that afflicts us has been sent by the living, who have come to present us with the bill for the turmoil that we ourselves have caused. The Anthropocene means: in whatever befalls us, human responsibility is involved. But whose responsibility is it exactly? The three timelines mentioned above allow us to be more precise. On the most immediate horizon, our attention is monopolized by the staggering affair of the evaporation of mask stocks since 2009 and by the indolence that has failed to replenish them urgently as the epidemic approaches. This is merely one more aspect of Europe's overwhelming lack of preparation. In this inability to anticipate, we bear witness to another disease of the times, namely, its presentism, that force by which everything that extends beyond the immediate disappears from our view. The coldly calculative neoliberal methods of hospital management took care of the rest, with its persistent lack of resources, reduction in the number of beds, on top of a shortage of staff and personnel who are already exhausted during normal times. Care workers have been howling their despair for a long time, without being heard. Today, the criminal nature of long-standing policies has been proven to everyone.  As Philippe Juvin, head of the emergency department at the Pompidou Hospital in Paris recently stated, "careless and incompetent people" have caused us to find ourselves "naked in the face of the epidemic". And if Emmanuel Macron wanted to set himself up as a war chief, he should not overlook the fact that this same rhetoric, invoked by so many rulers these days, could also one day one day turn (metaphorically?) into an accusation of high treason.

Glancing back over the second half of the twentieth century allows us to identify several of the major causalities behind the multiplication of zoonoses, those diseases caused by infectious agents that are able to make a species leap from animals to humans. The expansion of industrial livestock farming, with its despicable tendency toward concentration, led to the sort of deplorable health consequences we now know far too well (swine flu, H5N1 bird flu, etc.). Meanwhile, excessive urbanization and metropolization have shrunk the habitats of animals, pushing them into closer contact with humans (HIV and Ebola, in particular). These two factors may not have played a role in the case of SARS-CoV-2, although more still needs to be known about the entire chain of transmission. On the other hand, it is clear that the sale of wild animals in the Wuhan market would not have had such consequences had Wuhan not become one of the world capitals of the automobile industry. The globalization of economic flows is indeed at work; and this is the third causality to be invoked, all the more so as the senseless expansion of air traffic was the vector of the rapid planetary spread of the virus.

But we can't stop there; we must also look back two centuries and give the Anthropocene its real name: Capitalocene. For it is the result, not of the human species in general, but of a specific historical system. The principal characteristic of this system, capitalism, is that the bulk of production is based, above all else, on the imperative of turning a profit from the money invested (capital). Although its configurations are variable, the world is ultimately organized according to the imperious demands of the economy. The result has  been a civilizational break with all previous human experience, in which private interest and competitive individualism now reign as supreme values, the obsession with pure quantity and the tyranny of urgency opening up a void in being. The result is also and above all a deadly productivist compulsion, one which lies at the origin of the overexploitation of natural resources, the accelerated disorganization of living things, and climate change.

When the current quarantine and health emergency ends, nothing will be the same as before; that much has been made clear. But what will change? Will our self-examination be limited to a short-term temporality, as is to be feared, or will we take into account the full cycle of the Capitalocene? We have now reached the threshold of the twenty-first century. The real war that is about to be waged will not have the Coronavirus as its enemy, but will be fought between two opposing options: on one side, there will be the continuation of a world in which the fanatical drive for merchandise reigns supreme and whose compulsive productivism will only lead to the deepening of the ongoing devastation; on the other side, there lies the invention, already being explored in a thousand places, of new ways of existing that would break with the categorical imperative of the economy, in order to lend priority to a good life for all. Preferring the joyful intensity of the qualitative to the false promises of an unlimited impossibility, the latter would combine an attentive concern for inhabited milieus and the interactions of the living with the construction of the common, mutual aid, and solidarity, and the collective capacity for self-organization and self-government.

The Coronavirus has come to sound the alarm and stop the mad train of a civilization hurtling towards the destruction of life on a mass scale. Shall we let it continue down its course, once again? That would only guarantee new and unprecedented disasters, which will make what we are experiencing now look pale in retrospect.

Paris, March 27, 2020

Translated by Ill Will Editions

****

Jérôme Baschet is an historian currently teaching at the Autonomous University of Chiapas in San Cristóbal de Las Casas. Author of several books on medieval history, he has also published Défaire la tyrannie du présent. Temporalités émergentes et futurs inédits (2018), La Rébellion zapatiste (2019), and Une Juste colère. Interrompre la destruction du monde, on the Gilets Jaunes.

[uomo-accattivante]

Fantastic (but long) article about Theater of War’s recent productions, including Oedipus the King and Antigone in Ferguson, featuring Oscar Isaac. The following are excerpts. The full article is viewable via the source link below:

Excerpt:

“Children of Thebes, why are you here?” Oscar Isaac asked. His face filled the monitor on my dining table. (It was my partner’s turn to use the desk.) We were a couple of months into lockdown, just past seven in the evening, and a few straggling cheers for essential workers came in through the window. Isaac was looking smoldery with a quarantine beard, a gold chain, an Airpod, and a black T-shirt. His display name was set to “Oedipus.”

Isaac was one of several famous actors performing Sophocles’ “Oedipus the King” from their homes, in the first virtual performance by Theater of War Productions: a group that got its start in 2008, staging Sophocles’ “Ajax” and “Philoctetes” for U.S. military audiences and, beginning in 2009, on military installations around the world, including in Kuwait, Qatar, and Guantánamo Bay, with a focus on combat trauma. After each dramatic reading, a panel made up of people in active service, veterans, military spouses, and/or psychiatrists would describe how the play resonated with their experiences of war, before opening up the discussion to the audience. Since its founding, Theater of War Productions has addressed different kinds of trauma. It has produced Euripides’ “The Bacchae” in rural communities affected by the opioid crisis, “The Madness of Heracles” in neighborhoods afflicted by gun violence and gang wars, and Aeschylus’ “Prometheus Bound” in prisons. “Antigone in Ferguson,” which focusses on crises between communities and law enforcement, was motivated by an analogy between Oedipus’ son’s unburied body and that of Michael Brown, left on the street for roughly four hours after Brown was killed by police; it was originally performed at Michael Brown’s high school.

Now, with trauma roving the globe more contagiously than ever, Theater of War Productions had traded its site-specific approach for Zoom. The app was configured in a way I hadn’t seen before. There were no buttons to change between gallery and speaker view, which alternated seemingly by themselves. You were in a “meeting,” but one you were powerless to control, proceeding by itself, with the inexorability of fate. There was no way to view the other audience members, and not even the group’s founder and director, Bryan Doerries, knew how numerous they were. Later, Zoom told him that it had been fifteen thousand. This is roughly the seating capacity of the theatre of Dionysus, where “Oedipus the King” is believed to have premièred, around 429 B.C. Those viewers, like us, were in the middle of a pandemic: in their case, the Plague of Athens.

The original audience would have known Oedipus’ story from Greek mythology: how an oracle had predicted that Laius, the king of Thebes, would be killed by his own son, who would then sleep with his mother; how the queen, Jocasta, gave birth to a boy, and Laius pierced and bound the child’s ankles, and ordered a shepherd to leave him on a mountainside. The shepherd took pity on the maimed baby, Oedipus (“swollen foot”), and gave him to a Corinthian servant, who handed him off to the king and queen of Corinth, who raised him as their son. Years later, Oedipus killed Laius at a crossroads, without knowing who he was. Then he saved Thebes from a Sphinx, became the king of Thebes, had four children with Jocasta, and lived happily for many years.

That’s where Sophocles picks up the story. Everyone would have known where things were headed—the truth would come out, and Oedipus would blind himself—but not how they would get there. How Sophocles got there was by drawing on contemporary events, on something that was in everyone’s mind, though it doesn’t appear in the original myth: a plague.

In the opening scene, Thebes is in the grip of a terrible epidemic. Oedipus’ subjects come to the palace, imploring him to save the city, describing the scene of pestilence and panic, the screaming and the corpses in the street. Something about the way Isaac voiced Oedipus’ response—“Children. I am sorry. I know”—made me feel a kind of longing. It was a degree of compassion conspicuous by its absence in the current Administration. I never think of myself as someone who wants or needs “leadership,” yet I found myself thinking, We would be better off with Oedipus. “I would be a weak leader if I did not follow the gods’ orders,” Isaac continued, subverting the masculine norm of never asking for advice. He had already sent for the best information out there, from the Delphic Oracle.

Soon, Oedipus’ brother-in-law, Creon—John Turturro, in a book-lined study—was doing his best to soft-pedal some weird news from Delphi. Apparently, the oracle said that the plague wouldn’t end until the people of Thebes expelled Laius’ killer: a person who was somehow still in the city, even though Laius had died many years earlier on an out-of-town trip. Oedipus called in the blind prophet, Tiresias, played by Jeffrey Wright, whose eyes were invisible behind a circular glare in his eyeglasses.

Reading “Oedipus” in the past, I had always been exasperated by Tiresias, by his cryptic lamentations—“I will never reveal the riddles within me, or the evil in you”—and the way he seemed incapable of transmitting useful information. Spoken by a Black actor in America in 2020, the line made a sickening kind of sense. How do you tell the voice of power that the problem is in him, really baked in there, going back generations? “Feel free to spew all of your vitriol and rage in my direction,” Tiresias said, like someone who knew he was in for a tweetstorm.

Oedipus accused Tiresias of treachery, calling out his disability. He cast suspicion on foreigners, and touted his own “wealth, power, unsurpassed skill.” He decried fake news: “It’s all a scam—you know nothing about interpreting birds.” He elaborated a deep-state scenario: Creon had “hatched a secret plan to expel me from office,” eliciting slanderous prophecies from supposedly disinterested agencies. It was, in short, a coup, designed to subvert the democratic will of the people of Thebes.

Frances McDormand appeared next, in the role of Jocasta. Wearing no visible makeup, speaking from what looked like a cabin somewhere with wood-panelled walls, she resembled the ghost of some frontierswoman. I realized, when I saw her, that I had never tried to picture Jocasta: not her appearance, or her attitude. What was her deal? How had she felt about Laius maiming their baby? How had she felt about being offered as a bride to whomever defeated the Sphinx? What did she think of Oedipus when she met him? Did it never seem weird to her that he was her son’s age, and had horrible scars on his ankles? How did they get along, those two?

When you’re reading the play, you don’t have to answer such questions. You can entertain multiple possibilities without settling on one. But actors have to make decisions and stick to them. One decision that had been made in this case: Oedipus really liked her. “Since I have more respect for you, my dear, than anyone else in the world,” Isaac said, with such warmth in “my dear.” I was reminded of the fact that Euripides wrote a version of “Oedipus”—lost to posterity, like the majority of Greek tragedies—that some scholars suggest foregrounds the loving relationshipbetween Oedipus and Jocasta.

Jocasta’s immediate task was to defuse the potentially murderous argument between her husband and her brother. She took one of the few rhetorical angles available to a woman: why, such grown men ought to be ashamed of themselves, carrying on so when there was a plague going on. And yet, listening to the lines that McDormand chose to emphasize, it was clear that, in the guise of adult rationality and spreading peace, what she was actually doing was silencing and trivializing. “Come inside,” she said, “and we’ll settle this thing in private. And both of you quit making something out of nothing.” It was the voice of denial, and, through the play, you could hear it spread from character to character.

By this point in the performance, I found myself spinning into a kind of cognitive overdrive, toggling between the text and the performance, between the historical context, the current context, and the “universal” themes. No matter how many times you see it pulled off, the magic trick is always a surprise: how a text that is hundreds or thousands of years old turns out to be about the thing that’s happening to you, however modern and unprecedented you thought it was.

Excerpt:

The riddle of the Sphinx plays out in the plot of “Oedipus,” particularly in a scene near the end where the truth finally comes out. Two key figures from Oedipus’ infancy are brought in for questioning: the Theban shepherd, who was supposed to kill baby Oedipus but didn’t; and the Corinthian messenger to whom he handed off the maimed child. The Theban shepherd is walking proof that the Sphinx’s riddle is hard, because that man can’t recognize anyone: not the Corinthian, whom he last saw as a young man, and certainly not Oedipus, a baby with whom he’d had a passing acquaintance decades earlier. “It all took place so long ago,” he grumbles. “Why on earth would you ask me?”

“Because,” the Corinthian (David Strathairn) explained genially on Zoom, “this man whom you are now looking at was once that child.”

This, for me, was the scene with the catharsis in it. At a certain point, the shepherd (Frankie Faison) clearly understood everything, but would not or could not admit it. Oedipus, now determined to learn the truth at all costs, resorted to enhanced interrogation. “Bend back his arms until they snap,” Isaac said icily; in another window, Faison screamed in highly realistic agony. Faison was a personification of psychological resistance: the mechanism a mind develops to protect itself from an unbearable truth. Those invisible guardsmen had to nearly kill him before he would admit who had given him the baby: “It was Laius’s child, or so people said. Your wife could tell you more.”

Tears glinted in Isaac’s eyes as he delivered the next line, which I suddenly understood to be the most devastating in the whole play: “Did . . . she . . . give it to you?” How had I never fully realized, never felt, how painful it would have been for Oedipus to realize that his parents hadn’t loved him?

Excerpt:

If we borrow the terms of Greek drama, 2020 might be viewed as the year of anagnorisis: tragic recognition. On August 9th, the sixth anniversary of the shooting of Michael Brown, I watched the Theater of War Productions put on a Zoom production of “Antigone in Ferguson”: an adaptation of Sophocles’ “Oedipus” narrative sequel, with the chorus represented by a demographically and ideologically diverse gospel choir. Oscar Isaac was back, this time as Creon, Oedipus’ successor as king. He started out as a bullying inquisitor (“I will have your extremities removed one by one until you reveal the criminal’s name”), ordering Antigone (Tracie Thoms) to be buried alive, insulting everyone who criticized him, and accusing Tiresias of corruption. But then Tiresias, with the help of the chorus, persuaded Creon to reconsider. In a sustained gospel number, the Thebans, armed with picks and shovels, led by their king, rushed to free Antigone.

“Antigone” being a tragedy, they got there too late, resulting in multiple deaths, and in Isaac’s once again totally losing his shit. It was almost the same performance he gave in “Oedipus,” and yet, where Oedipus begins the play written into a corner, between walls that keep closing in, Creon seems to have just a little more room to maneuver. His misfortune—like that of Antigone and her brother—feels less irreversible. I first saw “Antigone in Ferguson” live, last year, and, in the discussion afterward, the subject of fate—inevitably—came up. I remember how Doerries gently led the audience to view “Antigone” as an illustration of how easily everything might happen differently, and how people’s minds can change. I remember the energy that spread through the room that night, in talk about prison reform and the urgency of collective change.

###

Again, the full article is accessible via the source link below:

[ranboo5]

The obligatory thought out Twitter discourse post (this is hopefully a conclusive take so like yeah): 

The worst thing I think abt Twt discourse and all that is like. Because of the way it happens -- largely I think bc of the platform itself, the mechanical aspects like the chara limit and how trending tags work -- what it encourages is mass outrage and dogpiling, and the most incindiary takes are the ones that get spread rather than those from people qualified to talk about it 

And what this does is that it encourages backlash rather than acceptance. When cancel tags get trending, even if at the core there is something that does require accountability, it doesn’t encourage accountability and conversations about why something happened and how to stop it at all -- it encourages defensiveness. Not just from the individual (although from them too) but from the general system 

People who might otherwise have been critical are going to respond to the response instead of the issue at hand because the response creates another issue, especially when the form of the response immediately overhauls into harrassment, incredible vitriol, and a slew of overblown or outright fabricated stuff to pad out the actual problem; people who see this response react to this as the violent overreaction and attack bandwagon it is and criticize that instead. This isn’t an individuals thing it’s a thing about how these arguments work. It is, mechanically, about how Twitter works as a platform. It is, fundamentally, about how for a take to spread it needs to appeal to lots of people, and for lots of people to accept its appeal it needs to strip away nuance  

The flavor of both sides of this echo chamber of escalating backlash and backlash to the backlash changes as the general Discourse Zeitgeist does but ultimately it continues to be the same thing. And because definitionally minorities are. Well. Minorities, even when the general zeitgeist makes it #trendy to say Listen To Minorities, minorities inevitably get drowned out by the news cycle 

It makes the entire concept of backlash seem like a bad-faith harrassment train because in its biggest and most apparent form that’s ultimately what it becomes and that’s what the systems of not just social media but gossip, in general, encourage and support. It activel discourages accountability because responses usually only fuel the train because, again, when it gets bad it’s not about good faith criticism anymore 

It’s a whole unknowable beast (literally unknowable! Humans weren’t meant to process societies of more than 150-200ish people at most! This is literally Eldritch in the original sense of the word!) that can really only be waited out and all we can do as individuals is try not to perpetuate it and try to actually boost nuanced takes and cultivate an atmosphere of discussion 

And discussion is important because a lot of these things are again systemic issues and they’re bad! They make people uncomfortable and for good reason! They’re representative of larger problems and in a kinder timeline the platforms at play here could actively help in dismantling those problems by addressing these manifestations! But instead it’s a bad-faith loop of whatever take is the hottest and whatever lets people get their anger and desire to enjoy mob mentality out 

The main core pts of this iteration are I think “saying the right thing is more important than doing the right thing,” the concept of sin equalization (“saying a bad thing” is one big category that everything from genuinely vile shit to something said in cringe taste is included in and requires the same nebulous “accountability” for), the prioritization of purity and irredeemability, and also, yeah, parasocial relationships (you’ll notice a lot of discourse involves a discussion of whose faves are better, or who “cares,” and how that’s shown, as well as what these personalities “owe” people). You will note that the former three are very very Christian morality based and the latter is especially prone to crop up in a community (and I use that term broadly) around people literally marketing personalities 

And it really really sucks. Because not only does it discourage actual discussion but it also, bc of that equalization and priority of “saying the right thing,” actually makes people weaker to actual dogwhistles and cringe rhetoric. Because that evolves. You can’t actually tell it on sight solely by what words are in what order. You can’t actually gauge how bad something is if all you have are Bad Words To Say. And this isn’t to say that recognizing specific phrases or smth is bad, just that relying on it and assuming that everything that’s loosely superficially similar is the Same Kind Of Thing and must be treated the same way + has the same implications betrays a lack of understanding of how it works, and that when the words that bigots use to coach their agendas in change and adapt, the same people that railed against something said in poor taste will boost that candy coated hatespeech uncritically 

I see it here All The Time. Not just in fucking block game discourse, either -- in discourse in general. Awful, regressive, reactionary ideas, either from too-young and too-inexperienced people who don’t know better or from actual malicious actors and bigots and cryptoreactionaries of all kinds, being spread uncritically because they’re coached in progressive language. The Cancellation Cycle and how it operates absolutely contributes to and betrays the existence of this system as much as anything

Just. I dunno 

Tl;dr (you were right): - The mechanisms of how Twitter and also society works create a system where the hottest, not the best, takes get circulated - In this system accountability is disincentivized and minority voices usually stifled more than anything  - Bad things happened and discussions absolutely need to be had but the reality of how the Cancel Cycle works actually discourages that  - It also makes people hypersensitive to Bad Words which blinds people to the mechanisms of actual cryptobigotry

[dessarious]

Misconceptions, Miscommunication, and Misinformation Pt49

Inspired by @ozmav Maribat AU

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The next day at school, it seemed like everyone was whispering and talking excitedly to their friends. Damian ignored it. Knowing the people in this place it was likely just some celebrity gossip or other such nonsense. He managed to make it all the way to lunch without being dragged into anyone’s conversation. Unfortunately Adrien cornered him as he was leaving the school.

“Did you hear?” It was obviously a rhetorical question since the boy just steamrolled forward. “The designer behind Functional Fashion is going to reveal themself at the show this weekend. My father even asked for my input on approaching them since their rumored to be our age!”

He kept his face neutral but Damian felt the shock of that announcement. Functional Fashion wasn’t a line exactly but rather a mission statement. The website had certain outfits and pieces that could be ordered as is, but the designer prided themself on creating items that were specific to the person ordering. They would also construct pieces in any material as long as it, or the money to purchase it was given upfront. He, his father, and his brothers all had formal suits with Kevlar stitched to the interior from them. Not even his family could figure out who the designer was. Everything from the website to the money trail traced back to a shell corporation, which traced back to Jagged Stone’s agent, and they were certain she wasn’t the designer.

“Good for you. Why exactly do I care?” He kept his tone bored but decided that he would need to ask Marinette to get the designers name for him in case he couldn’t get the cameras installed in time to get to the show himself. Adrien made that kicked puppy face at him before leaving to talk to someone that would be more receptive. As Damian walked to the bakery and the shock left he was hit with the realization that Marinette had to have set this up. She’d told Oracle that she would make sure Gabriel would be at the show, in person, so this announcement had to be her doing. He stormed up to her room and found her alone. “Are you out of your mind?” She blinked at him in confusion.

“Good afternoon to you too. What’s got you so worked up? Or are you still denying your feelings for Luka and pretending you’re a robot?” He might have appreciated the sarcasm if not for the subject. As it was he didn’t want to talk about last night and the fashion show was far more pressing of a concern.

“You spread a rumor that the designer behind Functional Fashion will be at the show. Do you have any idea how much trouble and danger you’ll be in when they don’t show? Never mind the likelihood that it will create perfect fodder for Hawkmoth.” She had the gall to roll her eyes at him.

“First of all, it's not just a rumor.” She pulled up the website on her computer and sure enough there was a huge announcement as soon as it loaded. “Second, I’ll do whatever it takes to bring down Hawkmoth. If I can get my hands on his Miraculous at the show so that the cameras become unnecessary, I’ll do it. The repercussions to me are nothing to the damage he has and will continue to cause.”

Damian didn’t know how to respond to that. He was well aware that Marinette took her status as a hero seriously but he somehow hadn’t translated that to her civilian life. The two were separate entities and Marinette was very careful not to let them merge together. Her being so willing to destroy her life if necessary made him feel a grudging respect for her.

“How do you know the person behind Functional Fashion?” She blinked at the question before grinning at him.

“Wouldn’t you like to know? I guess you’ll find out Saturday with everyone else.” He glared at her but it did absolutely no good. Damian didn’t understand why this tiny girl, superhero or not, was immune to his looks and threats when grown men had been known to wet themselves just being in the same room with him. Maybe the Akumas were slowly dropping everyone’s IQ.

“Well Agreste is certainly excited about it. I don’t know why though considering his father is likely to offer him up as an incentive to hire them or at least make them work exclusively with Gabriel. I wouldn’t put it past the man to make an arranged marriage if that’s what it took.” Marinette’s face twisted in disgust at the thought.

“Don’t even joke about that.” There was an edge to her tone he couldn’t place and she looked a bit nauseous. It was an odd reaction, but honestly everything about Marinette was a bit odd so he just shrugged it off.

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Kofi

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[awko-orange-potato]

LGBT Representation During the 1960-80s

Homosexuality has a history of being a taboo in the United States, but from the 1960s to the 1980s, more widespread awareness of homosexual prevalence in the country led to massive panic. Many attest the increased awareness of homosexuality in the United States to the popular published works of American biologist, Alfred Kinsey, in which revealed there were at least 20 million gay men and women in the United States at the time (Schiller & Rosenburg, 1985). Prior to The Kinsey Reports, which were published not long after the conclusion of WWII, there was more of a common perception that homosexuals were only a small handful of the population (Schiller & Rosenburg, 1985). The reports revealed to everyone that their previous perceptions about the world were incorrect, so naturally many people started to panic. Not only did the start of the Cold War bring widespread fear to the United States over nuclear missile strikes and the spread of communism, but it also brought an increased fear of homosexuals.

During the Cold War, “homosexuals were cast as a serious threat to the moral health and security of the United States by both politicians and journalists” (Hall, 2013, 1110). Homosexuality became associated with communism because many conservative politicians at the time, like infamous Senator Joseph McCarthy, used the rhetoric publicly as a tool to fit their political agendas (Schiller & Rosenburg, 1985). The media perpetuated this trend by broadcasting many of these instances of homosexuality, and because at this time many homosexuals did not have a voice, they were being falsely represented and often demonized. This widespread panic surrounding homosexuals during the Cold War, became known as the “Pink Scare,” an homage to the “Red Scare,”  the phrase in which described the increased fear of communism in America at the time (Hall, 2013, 1110). Because of the Pink Scare, many gay men and women lost their jobs and livelihoods, especially homosexuals in the military in which were often dishonorably discharged, received no veteran benefits, and were no longer allowed to reassume their positions (Schiller & Rosenburg, 1985). However, in spite of these issues, groups began to form amongst the people affected by them, and as time moved forward, more and more people began to join these groups either because they felt it was a way to be represented, or simply just to support the cause. Gay rights activists argued against the idea that homosexuals were a threat to national security and even used patriotic ideas in order to appeal to the rest of the population. This became a frequent strategy during the early 1960s, in which many advocacy groups invoked the rhetoric that anti-gay discrimination is “against American ideals” (Hall, 2013, 1112).

As a result of gay advocacy groups becoming more popular, how many gay people viewed themselves changed. Many homosexuals started to believe that the issues that they faced in regards to their homosexuality was not their fault, an idea in which they were made to believe for so long, but that it was fault of  “the social attitudes of the people around them” (Schiller & Rosenburg, 1985). The common ways in which grassroots organizers portrayed themselves started to evolve. Following the Stonewall Riot of June, 28, 1969, many activists and organizations embraced Revolutionary Politics and more radical rhetoric, rather than continuing with their patriotic-centered approaches (Hall, 2013, 1114). By this time, queer media outlets were continuing to increase in popularity, therefore increasing representation for the LGBT community. Queer media outlets were able to publicize the falsities presented by more mainstream outlets, and specifically tackle the common rhetoric of homosexuality being a mental illness in which many psychologists of the period claimed (Gross, 2002, 25). With further representation and advocacy on gay issues, homosexuals and other queer people started to “think of themselves as a political force and not just an oppressed minority” (Gross, 2002, 29). From the 1960s up until the early 70s, increased awareness of homosexuality was commonplace, and a lot of progress was made in order to abolish the frequent inaccurate views of the masses. However, the sexual revolution and the beginning spread of the AIDS virus proved to complicate this progress in many ways, arguably for better or for worse.

In the United States during the 1970s and 80s, there were a lot of media outlets which framed sexual infections to be the “consequence” of the sexual revolution (Gross, 2002, 94). Consequently, because one of the first people in the U.S. to be discovered with the AIDS virus was a gay man, it became common to associate the virus with homosexuals. At the start of the AIDS epidemic, many started to call the virus, “G.R.I.D.,” meaning “Gay Related Immune Deficiency,” which then became casually known as the “gay plague,” (Gross, 2002, 95). Because of the rhetoric associating gay people with the AIDS virus, it was viewed as a “gay issue,” and therefore the mainstream media chose not to publish much about it when it began (Gross, 2002, 95-96). That proved to be very damaging for the population as a whole, because many people who did not identify as homosexual were under the impression that they could not get the virus, which was not the case. “What society judged was not the severity of the disease but the social acceptability of those affected with it,” (Gross, 2002, 97). In part due to the societal, governmental, medical, and legislative failures of the United States at the rise of the AIDS epidemic, the amount of AIDS deaths went from approximately 500,000 in 1987 to 1 million in just two years (France, 2012). A lot of human rights issues began to arise during this time because of how gay people were treated in the country due to the arising illness. Advocacy groups began to form and gain more backing in response to issues such as overpriced AIDS medication, crippling side effects to medications due to improper testing, hospitals turning patients away completely, and much more (France, 2012). One of the most famous organizations that arose during the time of the AIDS crisis was called “ACT UP,” which stood for “AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power.” ACT UP, along with many other organizations of its time, made strides for gay rights in the United States (France, 2012). Because of the organizations advocating for these issues, more progress was made for gay rights than almost ever before. Public protests forced much of the population to acknowledge that people were dying in masses from the AIDS virus and it would not stop until they did something about it (France, 2012). Public protests and sit-ins at press briefings also proved to push the government to remain accountable for the issues surrounding the AIDS epidemic because they were highly publicized. It seemed that simply because homosexuals were dying, that was when the general population began to look at them as more human. However, unfortunately millions of lives were lost in the time it took for much of the country and the world to wake up to the idea that this was an event which needed to be taken seriously. In the movie, “How to Survive a Plague,” a man inflicted with the AIDS virus brought up the important notion of, “what does a decent society do with people that hurt themselves because they’re human, who smoke too much, who eat too much, who drive carelessly, who don’t have safe sex? I think the answer to that is a decent society does not put people out to pasture and let them die because they’ve done a human thing.” A lot of organizations formed at the time of the AIDS crisis simply wanted to convey that sentiment to the rest of the country.

Works Cited

Before Stonewall: the Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community. (1985). Kanopy. Retrieved September 2021, from https://temple.kanopy.com/video/stonewall.

Gross, L. P. (2002). Up from invisibility: Lesbians, gay men, and the media in America. Columbia University Press.

Hall, S. (2013). Americanism, Un-Americanism, and the Gay Rights Movement. Journal of American Studies, 47(4), 1109–1130. https://doi.org/10.1017/s002187581300145x

How to Survive a Plague. (2012). Amazon. Retrieved September 2021, from https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/amzn1.dv.gti.5aa9f74b-8bff-7782-0d22-0822e7f6abcc?autoplay=1&ref_=atv_cf_strg_wb.